Cold case officer claims DNA law helps rapists avoid jail

Murderers and rapists are avoiding detection because police have to dispose of DNA samples, the head of a cold case unit has claimed.
Supt Martin Bottomley, of Greater Manchester Police, said the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 had become a "thorn in the side" of his unit.
Under the act, samples taken for some arrests must now be destroyed.
The Home Office said: "The Government has no plans to change the Protection of Freedoms Act."
Mr Bottomley told BBC Radio Manchester Breakfast: "Some samples have been ordered to be destroyed and that has been a real thorn in our... read more

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